Paradise Designs Blog

February is well upon us and it looks like our rain totals will be scant this season. This flip from last year’s generous rains causes us to take a good look at the ongoing flood vs drought dilemma here in our Southern California Landscapes and...

We often discuss Landscape Design in our office. It’s our business and our passion. We’d like to take a minute to discuss what we do and truly define some of the ideas and concepts behind providing the best yards in Orange County to the best...

As the year winds down and we review what can be done better in the coming year, it may be worth considering hiring the experts in landscape maintenance. Over the more than 20 years of serving our clients, we’ve learned the best designed landscapes require professional...

What are Hardscape and Softscape and how do they affect my yard? Every landscaping project has two major features, hardscape and softscape. Hardscape are typically the man made features in the landscape, or the immovable pieces such as concrete, pavers, driveways, paths, walls, pergolas, kitchens, decks, water...

Our discussions with potential clients regarding backyard design often focus on what they hope their end result will be. Specifically, we want to ensure that the outcome for their yard is not only beautiful but that it matches their vision and lifestyle. Focusing our design direction...

When considering reworking your landscape or starting anew, it’s important to look at your yard ‘anchors’. There are many items that can anchor your yard. This center piece can be a hardscape like a sitting area or fireplace, it can be a pool or living...

Living in Orange County, we all know we have a relatively dry environment. However, there are many reasons your yard can experience erosion or drainage problems including improper handling of irrigation and rainwater. With autumn around the corner, now is a good to time to...

What an exciting time to be alive. The technology we have at our fingerprints continues to amaze me day after day. Were you aware that you can control your irrigation with your iPhone or Android device? I am here to tell you that you are. We...

Water is a cooling, relaxing and essential element in the California Garden. While in the past several years the focus of water in our yards has been to conserve as much of it as possible due to the long standing drought, we are in a bit...

Outdoor rooms are a true California luxury thanks to our temperate climate and the minimal bug problem (ok, maybe a few pesky bugs). They can be simple or grand depending on budget or vision. Outdoor rooms with actual roofs create a year round usable room that allows...

As summer fast approaches and we move our lives outdoors, we should think about creating a cohesive approach to the way we use or would like to make use of our outdoor environments. Be they back or front yards, the discussion should begin with consideration...

Spring continues to rear its beautifully colorful head. Everywhere we turn there is a ‘superbloom’ thanks to the generous rainfall of this past winter. So as a follow-up to the previous blog post regarding irrigation it seemed natural to continue the conversation by talking about...